For many of us, this will not be an easy feat, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to be better. Right?

A Quick Exercise

Do you know where your money is going?

Although you should follow all the exercises in the book to a T, my favorite one was writing down everything I spent on so far for this month.

If you write out all of your expenses, no matter how tedious, it will open your eyes to how much you truly spend. Most people don’t do this because it is a pain in the butt. However, it is very important.

Spring Cleaning: Decluttering and Cleaning Tips

1. Donate clothes you don’t wear anymore. Most people only wear the same 5-6 outfits, so the other 200 outfits you don’t touch should be looked at for possible donation. I know it’s hard to give up!

2. Give away books you know you won’t read again. Like those hundreds of college books collecting dust… Will you really read them again? You can also sell them if it makes you feel better.

3. Shred your old paperwork. If you are concerned, keep an electronic copy for your records, so you have something available. Also, it helps to receive mail electronically and to opt out of spam.

4. Stop buying stuff you don’t need. Before purchasing, wait a few days to make a decision to buy. You don’t need as much as you might think and you could have multiple items around and not even know it.

5. Avoid taking in donations from friends and family unless you really need something they are offering. I’ve taken in a lot and that’s how I got many of my things.

6. Get rid of your junk before buying more organizing/storage bins. If not, you may end up with more junk!

7. Avoid plastic containers especially if you move frequently. They always break and they aren’t good for the earth. I don’t think they even look good except maybe in the garage.

8. Keep counters and tables clear. Piling up junk on them is one of the fastest ways we clutter our homes.

9. You don’t need any more decorations or picture frames if you still have a ton waiting to be hung. Keep things simple! Less is more.

10. If you are having a hard time parting with an item, take a picture of it before giving it away. You won’t have it in your physical possession anymore, but you can still look at it and reminisce.

What is your biggest decluttering challenge? Do you have any useful tips that have worked for you?

When I was growing up, my favorite children’s book was Walt Disney’s Button Soup, a book my father sometimes read to us over and over again. I have fond memories of those days and hope to recreate the same warmth for my son.

Now, I have a collection of children’s books for my little boy that remain an important part of our home.

The books listed below are some of my 22-month old’s favorites, which he often brings me to read.

Why Reading to Children is Important

With the first three years of one’s life being the most critical for brain development, it is so important to interact with your little ones. An easy way to do this is to read to them.

At the pediatricians office, they will often provide you with books for your child before age 1. Why? because reading is an encouraged activity that creates one-on-one interaction for bonding and learning, which is important for their growth and development.

Books help increase language development, foster imagination, and help stimulate the brain.

It can also be soothing for a child to be read to especially as a part of a bedtime routine.

10 Favorite Children’s Books

Here are some of our favorite children’s books because you have to love them as much as your child does or else you may not want to read them! Buy books you both love, so you can enjoy them together.

1. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Day. This is a hilarious book about Alexander and the things that happen during his awful day which makes him want to move to Australia. This book teaches kids that sometimes we have bad days, but they are not the end of the world.

2. I Love You, Stinky Face. I discovered this book at a baby shower. It is a cute book about a mother’s unconditional love for her child. Even if her son becomes a stinky skunk or other monstrous creature, she always reassures him that no matter what, she will adapt and love him either way.

3. Let’s Dance, Little Pookie. If you haven’t discovered author Sandra Boynton, you will definitely want to soon! She has a ton of great children’s books. This adorable book is about trying to dance and there’s a funny little song in it to make your child giggle.

4. The Three Little Pigs. This is a classic book your toddler will adore. If you haven’t heard of it before, it is about three little pigs trying to protect themselves (and their home) from a wolf who they out smart. I usually act like the big bad wolf and play along, which makes my son laugh and run away.

5. Peppa’s Story Time Box. This is a set of books based on the British cartoon, Peppa Pig. If you have a Peppa Pig fan in your home, this is a great purchase. All the characters are animals and the stories are centered around everyday life.

6. 10 Days in Hawaii. Help your child learn numbers/counting in a fun way with dancing hula cats, surfing dogs, and more. I love books like these because they add in some culture!

7. From Head to Toe. If you have an interactive toddler who also loves animals, they will enjoy this book. Let them follow along and participate for a fun-filled read.

8. Good Night Moon. This is a great bedtime book where children can participate in saying goodnight to everything in the room. The pictures go from light to darkness, so your child can see the transition.

9. Hide and Seek Harry on the Farm. There are a series of these books, so you can have your pick. There are a lot of rhymes in here and your toddler may enjoy pointing out where Harry is hiding.

10. Horns to Toes and in Between. Another favorite Sandra Boynton book! Help your toddler learn parts of the human/animal body. There’s also a tickle session!

There are many great children’s books out there, but the one’s above are our current favorites at 22-months. I read some of these before my son turned 1 and they continue to be his favorite.

What was your favorite book growing up? If you have children, what are your favorite books to read?

Disclosure: If you click on the images above and decide to purchase through Amazon, please know that Stirringupdelight.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

I’ll admit there was a time when I spent too much on groceries, especially around the holidays. I had enough can foods to last an entire year and my fridge was beyond stuffed too.

Save Money with Technology

I still remember the look on my MILs face when she saw how much food I had in my pantry. I used to joke that I was preparing for a hurricane.

Grocery shopping used to be one of my FAVORITE things to do! I used to buy stuff I planned to use for cooking, baking, or parties, but never did half the time. I wasted a lot of money.

That’s really bad, I know!

Nowadays, I’ve simplified my life. I use coupons, buy items on sale, and have found money savings apps to get cash back/rewards. It just feels good to save. One of the first apps I’ve used so far is Ibotta. It’s been pretty good!

Cash Back with Ibotta

Yesterday, I just spent $86.00 dollars on groceries. I was able to save $6.00 by using coupons. I also purchased foods on sale to reduce my bill. After my purchase, I went onto Ibotta to validate my purchases and earned $4.00! That’s an extra $4.00! It might not seem like much now, but it adds up.

Ibotta is an app that helps you earn cash or rewards for your purchases. The app has a list of items that you can earn cash back for at various stores such as Walmart, Target, Harris Teeters, and even the commissary on base.

Here’s how it works:

Under Target rebates in Ibotta, I find $1.00 cash back for my favorite baby wipes. I unlock the rebate by watching a video ad on the product or read about it (whichever ad they provide). Once I go to the store and purchase my wipes, I scan the product bar code and take a picture of the receipt. After my purchase is validated, I earn cash back. In my case, I earned $1.00 cash back into my account for the wipes.

I was planning to already buy this product, so getting a $1.00 cash back is a reward for me.

The thing I like about Ibotta is that a lot of the products I plan to buy anyway like milk and eggs. You also get bonuses from time to time, which are also nice.

Pros and Cons:

Pros: there are rebates on common products at many locations, it is an easy to use app, and there are many ways to earn cashback/rewards besides on groceries (i.e. clothes, toiletries, etc.).

Cons: the list of products isn’t very large, you might not have your favorite brands listed, and if you lose your receipt you won’t get paid (understandably so).

Conclusion

Is using an app like Ibotta worth your time? For me, yes because I use it for products I am planning to buy anyway. It takes a little effort, but not much. I’m already up to $10.00 cash back and I’ve only used it twice. That’s a deal to me and I can’t wait till the cash rewards climb as I continue to use the app.

Just don’t lose your receipt! This happened to me when I first signed up, so I lost the $10.00 sign-up bonus and any rewards associated with my purchase.

This week, I saved $25.00 on two large boxes of diapers at my favorite store. This put a mega smile on my face!

Unless you are using cloth diapers, the amount of money you’ll spend on disposable ones will make your head spin. Why not try a few easy methods to save money?

For those struggling economically, diapers can truly put a major dent in one’s pocket. This includes the average family wanting to save …

Read The Diaper Dilemma and you’ll be stunned to learn that 30% of mothers in the United States are struggling to provide clean diapers for their little ones, often stretching the use of disposable diapers or reusing them! (Khazan, 2015)

Diapers are not cheap. That’s why it’s always great to find deals that put a smile on YOUR face. Any bit of savings will make a difference!

I typically use mobile apps that offer coupons/rewards, but I also bargain hunt.

Here are some of my favorite EASY ways to save.

Coupons and Apps. I’ve saved money by using the Cartwheel app and other apps. Right now, my favorite brand of diapers is $2.00 off on the Cartwheel app. That’s a coupon I love. It’s free to sign up for the app and it might save you some money. You can also go “old school” and print coupons out. Also, if you visit a store like Target, you might see a coupon that you can receive through text or get coupons sent via mail. (Note: there are other apps you might enjoy like Ibotta).

Rewards/Loyalty programs. I absolutely love Pampers Baby Dry (Buy Here), so I put their app on my phone to receive rewards. It’s free and I receive perks, so it’s a win-win in my opinion. (That rhymed!).

Hunt Deals Online. For me, Target is my go-to place because I swear they have the best deals and their diapers are often dollars cheaper (I swear I don’t work for them! It’s just my favorite store right now). Another way to hunt deals? Go to google, type in your choice of diapers and compare prices from leading stores.

Buy off-brand. Try out different types of diapers including off-brand ones. If they work for your family, they can save you a whole lot more. If your budget is tight, try a store brand like Costco (annual membership required though). I’m trying a more affordable brand, Luvs, this month to see how I like it.

Baby Registry. For you pregnant mama’s gearing up for baby, sign up for a couple of registries to reap rewards. I got cash back and tons of coupons (i.e. compare deals at Amazon, Babies R Us, and Target).

Amazon Mom. If you are a Prime Member, sign up for Amazon Mom (free as a Prime member) and get 20% off diapers and other products. You are already paying for Prime membership, so you might as well get something extra from it as a mom or parent!

This week, I was really happy to have saved as much as I did. How was this possible?

Here’s what I did while shopping at Target:

-$10.00 gift card received for $50.00 in baby purchases (store deal).

-$10.00 gift card received for $50.00 in baby purchases (coupon in mail).

That’s how I saved approximately $25.00! Now I have $20.00 to spend with gift cards.

Afterward, I logged my rewards into my Pampers App.

How do you save money on diapers?

I would love to learn from any mom who has tips to share. I also totally admire people who can do extreme couponing! I’m still baffled by their abilities to save. If I ever find out how they do it, I’ll be sure to share.

I hope this post gave you some ideas on how to save a few bucks. For me, that $25.00 means I can buy other baby goods like wipes (which I happened to see a $1.50 cash back reward from Ibotta! Woo hoo!)

Note: all products listed above are those I use and love. stirringupdelight.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

As a mom, I know it can be tough to find some time to read, but these books are REALLY great if you need some uplifting and inspiring material to read.

The Power of Books

There was a time when I worked in a truly terrible place. I knew I would never grow or succeed here, but I felt I had to stay “a little longer” to keep paying the bills. Sound familiar?

I finally found a way to leave, but my spirit also needed to heal from the experience. The books below are some of my favorite because they inspired me to stay positive and grow as a person.

5 Uplifting and Inspiring Books:

1. The Best Year of Your Life: Dream It, Plan It, Live It(Debbie Ford). If you need a book to inspire you to make changes in your life, this is it. I read this book when I was going through a quarter-life crisis. I absolutely hated my job and wanted to make some major changes to my life. This book gave me the courage and inspiration to move forward.

2.The Last Lecture(Randy Pausch). After this good read, you’ll be inspired to chase after your dreams again and spend the precious time you have with those you love. Life is precious and shouldn’t be taken for granted, so please enjoy the time you have now.

Reading these magnificent stories made me feel that there is hope, love, and more than what meets the eye in our complex world. It will give you the warm fuzzies, which might just be what you need to get your spirits up again!

I remember one man in a nearby office requested I read a quote from it to help him get into the right mental state for the day. He wasn’t he only one. This book of quotes really got me through some tough times!

Forgiveness, love, acceptance, the importance of human connection, and other messages are shared throughout its chapters and will uplift your spirits and inspire you to be a better person. This book is a MUST read.

The five books on my list are those I keep on my bookshelf and cannot give up because they are just too good! These are books I want to share with friends and family, so they can also feel inspired.

Is there a book out there that helps you feel a sense of renewal? If you’ve read any of the books above, what did you think?

The books above are those I love and own. If you do purchase any from the links above, please know that Stirringupdelight.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Are you thinking about purchasing furniture from an online discount retailer for the first time?

I recently purchased a sofa from wayfair.com and a patterned wool rug from overstock.com

Trust me, I was terrified to buy furniture I couldn’t see in person or feel, but I took a chance to save HUNDREDS of dollars.

Of course, I was still dreaming of the rug I really wanted from Crate and Barrel, but I felt much better after I realized I had saved more than a $1,000 dollars.

When I received the rug and sofa I purchased online, I was extremely pleased. That’s why I’m sharing it with you!

To be fair, here are some pros & cons:

Pros:

Save hundreds (maybe even thousands) of dollars on furniture. Since furniture often has extremely high markups, online discount furniture stores may offer more for your money. One tip I’ve learned is that you can find something you love on one website and search for it on the other to see if it’s even cheaper. The name of your product may be different, but you’ll know it’s the same by the product description and image. I did this for my rug which I first found on wayfair.com, but purchased for much less on overstock.com. Also, I was able to add a 10% coupon to my order. Imagine the savings! (Tip: compare sites as frequently as you can and use coupons).

Coupons. Besides the already discounted prices, you may be able to get a 10% coupon for your first purchase. I was able to use a USPS Movers coupon which reduced the price of my purchase too. It costs $1.00 in total for the coupon.

Huge selections. You can sort through hundreds of options! You aren’t limited to a store’s selection and you can find a ton of unique items from a variety of sellers.

No pressure sales. Sometimes, when we enter a furniture store, there’s pressure to buy. Not online. You can do a ton of research, then make your decision without feeling rushed especially if you like to take your time. No competing with commissions.

Quick & Easy Process. Select what you like, pay online, and wait for your furniture to arrive. It’s a quick and easy transaction that you can complete from just about anywhere. If you are lucky, shipping is sometimes free.

Cons:

No sales person. If you prefer a sales person or rely on customer service to help you through the furniture buying process, purchasing online can be MORE work. There are sales people who are extremely knowledgeable about furniture and can be a resource for you. However, you are typically on your own online, so read up on how to buy good quality furniture beforehand.

Furniture stores are suffering. Now that people are relying on discounted online retailers, it can be hard for furniture businesses and their employees to survive. I felt guilty about this one when the sweetest sales woman helped me out. Although I really wanted to buy from her, the retailer she works for is known for extremely high markups for average quality furniture. I did not know this until I did my research. Yes, I almost bought a $1,200 but found a similar one I’m pleased with online for more than half the price.

Items look different online. When the product you ordered doesn’t look like the photo at all or it wasn’t quite what you expected, you will need to coordinate a return. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell what your product is truly like until it arrives.

You HAVE to rely on reviews and product descriptions. The last thing anyone needs is to find the PERFECT sofa only to find out it feels like sitting on a rock! If you don’t read the reviews, it can be hard to determine certain features of your product. This also includes the product description which MUST be read. Not doing this may result in a product you are unhappy with. With major retailers known for good quality (i.e. Ethan Allen), you don’t have to worry as much, but this is different with online retail. Quality can be hit or miss, so research is key.

Assembling and removing furniture. Are you okay with assembling your own furniture? The base of our sofa came whole, but the legs had to be screwed on. Things like this may not be appealing to some folks. Also, some major furniture chains will take your old furniture for you if you buy from them! Not online though (as far as I know).

After ordering online, I can say that I will be a return customer because I’m very happy with the furniture I received. It took me a while to do research, but it was all worth it especially for the price! There’s ALWAYS discounts! However, as I mentioned, there are pros and cons to purchasing online which you should consider before you buy. If you truly want to save money, you need to compare sites, use coupons, and do your homework.

Have you ever purchased online and was it a good or bad experience? Were you able to save hundreds?

When I first started my baby registry, I chose Target, but I decided to later create one at Babies R Us.

Initially, I was turned off by Babies R Us because I felt it wasn’t as affordable as Target for some of the same products and I didn’t think that some of the items were as cute, but I was wrong.

Some of the pros for Babies R Us include an easy way to navigate their site when selecting items to add to your registry. I chose the “must have” checklist as a guide which helped me select some of the necessities or “must haves.” It was quite straightforward and will be less daunting than trying to figure it out on your own especially if you are a first time mom.

The other thing I really like about Babies R Us is that there are WAY more selections at Babies R Us and a ton more options for store and online purchases, so family and friends can choose which method they would prefer. For example, if you purchase something less than $49.99 online, it may require shipping. But, you have the option to pick it up for free at Babies R Us (if it’s available), so there will be no added shipping cost. This wasn’t the case with Target which mostly had online items for all the cute stuff.

I was also able to find many more product choices at reasonable prices which I did not expect. At first, what turned me off from Babies R Us is that it seemed like things were way overpriced. But I found that the prices were not that much different than Target. Use the “low to high” cost filter to find great deals and you’ll see plenty!

Another thing that surprised me was the customer service at Babies R Us, which I thought was a notch above Target. Babies R Us noticed I registered online with them, so I received a call from a representative offering assistance. It was a nice welcome.

Finally, you may get reward bucks to pay for future items and when you close your account, a 10% discount was offered to me.

While I’ve experienced more positives with Babies R Us, I must also cover the cons. While there aren’t too many price differences, this isn’t the case with diapers or clothing. I found the same pack of diapers almost $10.00 or more above the Target price. The Carters clothing items are a little more pricier than the more affordable Target brand too (unless you score a deal). Additionally, it is not easy to select clothing on the Babies R Us website, while their items are not as cute. I gave up on selecting any clothing since it was too tedious to even choose anything from the website.

Finally, I have heard that the return policy can be complicated at Babies R Us. I did not have to return anything. However, my brother-in-law purchased a baby monitor for us, but the store was confused on whether or not it was shipped to them or if it would be sent to us. No one seemed to be able to assist. In the end, it was cancelled and the money was returned to my brother-in-law. The funny thing about this is that we received a car seat through the same order, so I’m not sure why there were issues with the baby monitor being sent to our home.

In the end, I decided to move most items to Babies R Us because I felt it would be the easier, less stressful option with a less stringent return policy. However, we did experience one or two hiccups.

Let me know your experience with Babies R Us and if you liked or disliked their registry!

When I first created my baby registry, I immediately signed up for Target. I couldn’t resist their cute, yet affordable products. However, with every baby registry, there are pros and cons.

First, the pros include (as mentioned previously), ridiculously cute products at affordable prices. When finding a product at Target and comparing it to the cost of the same product at Babies R Us, for example, the prices can be quite different (i.e. diapers).

Second, finding a Target store nearby is much more simple than finding a BuyBuy Baby or Babies R Us. For those friends, co-workers, or family members that would rather stop in a nearby store, this can be quite convenient because Target can be found just about anywhere.

Third, they give you a coupon booklet at the end to purchase out final registry items. I was able to get a 15% off coupon for my items and earned $10.00 back due to an ongoing diaper deal.

The cons to Target, however, made me question whether or not I wanted to have a baby registry solely with them.

After some research and some noticeable issues with my baby registry at Target, I became quite weary.

Some of the cons include their return policy. It seems that many people have had difficulty with being able to return items from their registry that were sent broken or that were no longer wanted – unless you have a gift receipt. Anything over $20.00 supposedly cannot be returned without a gift receipt whether or not it was shipped broken or not. This was enough to scare me away because most people will not request one especially if it is on a registry.

Second, a lot of the items I added to my registry (all the cute stuff) would disappear as “out of stock.” It seemed like this happened quite a bit because many of their items are online only, so eventually the items I added were no longer available.

Since many of the items are on-line only, the cost of shipping for anything less than $49.99 will cost your guests a shipping fee that may not be worth it. Would you want to buy a $10.00 gift and pay nearly $6.00 shipping on it? I wouldn’t want my guests to, so I tried to find more “in-store” only products which were limited.

Finally, when registering with Target, their website has had numerous issues, so the process of searching for and adding items to your registry may not be as smooth. Not that this doesn’t happen to the other websites too, but it seemed liked Target had a lot more issues than necessary… I also tried the “check out” feature to see what it would be like for someone to buy something and it wasn’t a seamless process.

Those are the pros and cons (at least in my opinion) of the Target Baby Registry. In the end, I decided to keep some Target items that were $20.00 or less on my registry, but moved the bigger ticket items to Babies R Us. By having two, it could provide more options for your guests to choose from.

If you’ve registered at Target before, what was your experience? Some people have websites devoted to how much they hate the Target registry, but others seem to love it.

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Hello! It's nice to meet you! I'm Mary. Thank you for stopping by Stirring Up Delight. I hope you'll find some useful tips, recipes, and reviews or maybe a story or two that you might enjoy. Read More…

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Stirringupdelight.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

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